slides - Linux Audio Conference

Getting Linux to
produce Music fast and
powerful
Hartmut Noack / zettberlin@linuxuse.de
The plan: Having a
Linux-computer, that can
be used by musicians for
serious work.
usable
unlimited
reliable
5 features, a musician demands
from his/her audio-PC.
●
●
The 3 most important:
1) stability
2) stability
3) stability
2 other:
✔
✔
understandable
user interface
all needed functions integrated
Goals
●
zero hardware issues
●
sane optimisations
●
●
plays music 30 secs after
startup
does not trade functionality
for usability
means and methods 1:
prerequisites.
●
●
collaboration with a systembuilder
finding a distro that supports
the chosen hardware
means and methods 2:
installation.
●
●
●
set up all hardware and
optimize it for audio
integrate and preset the
applications
provide user-oriented
documentation
The box:
●
AMD Athlon64 3800
●
1Gb RAM, 200GB HD
●
●
●
●
●
MSI K9N Neo
Mainboard
DVD-Burner, Nvidia
Geforce 7300 GC
Chieftec DH Tower
Zalman CNPS
Heatpipe-Cooler
MAudio
Audiophile 2496
Soundcard with
envy24 chipset
The distro
●
ubuntu feisty fawn amd64
– supports
the chosen hardware
– provides an optimized kernel
– has most of the needed
applications in standardrepositories
– easy to maintain for the user
Why no audio-distro?
●
●
problems with the
graphics-chipset
tests will be continued to
provide alternative
systems via multiple-boot
The desktop
The menu
The set of Apps 1
●
Ardour (HD-recorder)
●
Rosegarden (sequencer)
●
Seq24 (pattern sequencer)
●
Rezound, mhw (wave
editors)
The set of Apps 2
●
●
●
●
Specimen (sampler)
AMS (modularsynth and FXhost)
ZynAddSubFX (synth)
LADSPA and DSSI
collections
The set of Apps 3
●
Hydrogen(drum-sequencer)
●
Jamin (mastering FX)
●
creox (more FX)
●
Utilities:
– qjackctl
– qarecord
Other Applications
●
about 30 other audioapps
including PD, SND and
Csound
●
graphics and video
●
the usual desktop apps
●
complete build-system is
installed
Freedom
●
●
●
AND
comfort
Unrestricted configurability
and extensibility.
we don't try to make complex
things look simple.
we explain complexity to
make obstacles transparent.
What we have no
name for... : the LAWframework
1.) Wrapper-scripts and
scripts to start complex
scenarios.
2.) Templates, presets,
samples
3.) Online help as usefull
dialogs and html-pages.
4.) Wiki and Forum on
the Internet
Zoidberg-Synthax
A word on money:
●
As a L.A.W.-PC is sold, 30%
of the profit will go to
projects, that are important
for Linux audio and not
funded by a company yet.
Issues:
●
●
●
Ardour 0.99 - package does
not work (Ardour 2 is
installed from source).
Muse does not work
properly.
Ubuntu's lowlatency-kernel
is not premium.
virtues:
●
●
●
IRQ can be set explicitly for
3 PCI-slots.
On-board sound-chip
provides a separate channel
for multimedia.
USB and IDE do not
interfere.
What can we do with it.
What can we do with it.
Next:
●
●
Testing the machine in
realworld-scenarios.
Prove, that it can be used for
professional tasks.
See the L.A.W. perform at the bleepfest - 01 of april - cbase
●
Build more machines like
that.
Linux Audio is just IT
Freedom
Methods
tools